The French defence company MBDA has inaugurated a missile engineering centre in the United Arab Emirates, in the presence of Tareq Al Hosani, Secretary-General of Tawazun Council, M. Nicolas Niemtchinow, Ambassador of France to the UAE, and M. Eric Béranger, Chief Executive Officer of MBDA.
The Missile Engineering Centre aims to strengthen the long-term partnership between the UAE and MBDA and to establish a solid foundation for the joint development of missile systems.
This cooperation primarily focuses on providing missile systems with superior performance, leveraging the local capabilities of the defence industry sector in the UAE and enhancing them through the manufacturing of UAE-made missiles that meet global standards.
The Missile Engineering Centre in the UAE is the first of its kind for MBDA outside Europe; it is operational with a joint team of engineers from Tawazun Technology Innovation and MBDA working on the next generation of the Smart Weapons family.
Tareq Al Hosani, Secretary-General of Tawazun Council said, “I am delighted to witness the official inauguration of the Missile Engineering Centre in the UAE, which marks a significant milestone in our partnership with MBDA. This centre represents our commitment to enabling the UAE’s defence industry. The Missile Engineering Centre is a testament to the successful collaboration between Tawazun Council and MBDA, and it symbolises our shared vision for long-term cooperation and mutual growth in the region.”
“We at Tawazun Council aim to develop advanced missile systems that meet our country’s specific requirements while promoting local content and knowledge transfer,” Al Hosani added.
The Chief Executive Officer of MBDA commented, “This inauguration is a major landmark for us at MBDA and an illustration of the importance of our local presence and cooperation with our partner Tawazun Council.
MBDA and its teams are extremely proud to see the new Missile Engineering Centre operational and already working on the development of the next generation of smart weapons.
This unique collaboration serves as a testament to what we aim to achieve with Tawazun Council, as our long-term goal is to make our cooperation beneficial for all and a testament to our efforts in the region”.
